For the week of October 15 - 21, 2003

Enviro groups may
appeal East Fork
grazing decision

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"I think it’s inevitable that grazing will be eliminated in that area, and I think we’d like to see it sooner rather than later."

— JON MARVEL, Executive Director, Western Watersheds Project

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By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer

One of the West’s leading public lands conservationists said this week his group will appeal a recent U.S. Forest Service decision that establishes new public lands grazing guidelines in the East Fork of the Salmon River valley on the eastern slope of the White Cloud Mountains.

JON MARVEL

"As anyone can tell from reading the record of decision, a lot of political pressure was brought to bear on (former Sawtooth National Recreation Area ranger) Deb Cooper, and it has resulted in this unfortunate decision," said Jon Marvel, executive director of Western Watersheds Project based in Hailey. "I would anticipate that our group will appeal this decision."

The Boulder White Clouds Council, another nonprofit conservation group, plans to join the appeal, said Lynne Stone, the group’s executive director.

Following the publishing of a record of decision in the Challis Messenger newspaper on Oct. 9, a 45-day appeal period commenced.

In the meantime, "we’ll be cataloguing the problems with this decision," Marvel said.

If or when it’s appealed, the issue will go before Intermountain Region Forester Jack Troyer. Marvel said that if Troyer upholds Cooper’s decision, the conservation groups would probably take the issue to court.

"We believe the decision doesn’t comply with the forest plan or the National Forest Management Act or the Endangered Species Act," Marvel said.

The Upper and Lower East Fork Cattle and Horse Allotment Management Plans final environmental study appears to reach a compromise position between proposed curtailment of grazing in the area and the status quo, which was deemed to be damaging to natural resources and recreation opportunities.

In March, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft environmental impact statement that proposed to reduce the size and scope of the two grazing allotments by roughly half.

The final decision, made by Cooper before her departure for Alaska two weeks ago, will temporarily reduce livestock grazing in selected areas to allow the land and flora to recuperate. When specified resource conditions are met, livestock use will be allowed to resume at levels slightly higher than in the last three years.

Additionally, the decision provides for construction of 15 miles of fencing, at a cost Marvel estimates will be $150,000, in order to keep cattle out of sensitive areas.

"That’s just one example of the absurd nature of this decision," Marvel said.

The temporary closures, totaling 23,500 acres, include some areas specified in the draft plan in March for permanent closures.

Areas retained for permanent closure total 27,620 acres.

In an interview two weeks ago, Cooper said senior Forest Service officials and Idaho congressional representatives gave the East Fork environmental review unprecedented attention. The final decision was not hers alone, she said.

There was a "heightened level of interest internal to the Forest Service on this decision, and many people helped work on the decision," she said. "Certainly the Idaho delegation is concerned about maintaining ranching within the state of Idaho, and they’re willing to express that concern to leaders in the agency.

"I’ve been criticized quite a bit about placing the value of the health of natural resources beyond other values," she added.

For his part, Marvel said there’s nothing illegal about Idaho’s congressional representatives putting pressure on the Forest Service to procure a decision of a particular nature.

"We expect it," he said. "What we don’t expect is for our representatives to waste our money in this absurd way. They should be asked why we should support ranching at this type of cost."

Marvel also pointed out that the majority of the public’s input on the draft environmental study was essentially ignored. Copies of comments Western Watersheds obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request indicated that 130 of 219 written comments supported the termination of livestock grazing in the East Fork through a phase-out. Another 17 supported ranching, and 65 supported curtailed grazing.

"So public comment is being overridden by political intervention," Marvel said. "The public wants this land to be managed for wildlife and for recreation.

"I think it’s inevitable that grazing will be eliminated in that area, and I think we’d like to see it sooner rather than later."

 

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